Seth, “Wimbledon Green”

Seth is the comic artist currently running in the NYT Mag’s Funny Page section. Like Chris Ware, his plots are thorough and historic. You get a real sense of place from his drawings. “Wimbledon Green” is more of a traditional, straightforward style of drawing than the “George Sprott” series. “Wimbledon Green,” the story of a man by the same name, the “greatest comic book collector in the world,” is told in True Hollywood Story format, with soundbites from competitor collectors on where Wimbledon came from, how he got all his comics and whether he is who he says he is.

THE LOWDOWNPublished: 2006, 128 pp.Obtained via: LibraryDate started: 1.6.07Date finished: 1.6.07What I liked: The intensive backstory and stories of fake comic books.What I didn’t like: Sometimes the secondary collectors are difficult to keep straight, as the narration skips between them very quickly sometimes.What I learned: Some (fictional) folks will go to any lengths for what they love. (Reminds me a little of “110 per cent” there.)Unresolved question: Who is Wimbledon Green?